Various embodiments are directed to surgical instruments including ultrasonic instruments distally positioned jaw assemblies.
Ultrasonic surgical devices, such as ultrasonic scalpels, are used in many applications in surgical procedures by virtue of their unique performance characteristics. Depending upon specific device configurations and operational parameters, ultrasonic surgical devices can provide substantially simultaneous transection of tissue and homeostasis by coagulation, desirably minimizing patient trauma. An ultrasonic surgical device comprises a proximally-positioned ultrasonic transducer and an instrument coupled to the ultrasonic transducer having a distally-mounted end effector comprising an ultrasonic blade to cut and seal tissue. The end effector is typically coupled either to a handle and/or a robotic surgical implement via a shaft. The blade is acoustically coupled to the transducer via a waveguide extending through the shaft. Ultrasonic surgical devices of this nature can be configured for open surgical use, laparoscopic, or endoscopic surgical procedures including robotic-assisted procedures.
Ultrasonic energy cuts and coagulates tissue using temperatures lower than those used in electrosurgical procedures. Vibrating at high frequencies (e.g., 55,500 times per second), the ultrasonic blade denatures protein in the tissue to form a sticky coagulum. Pressure exerted on tissue by the blade surface collapses blood vessels and allows the coagulum to form a hemostatic seal. A surgeon can control the cutting speed and coagulation by the force applied to the tissue by the end effector, the time over which the force is applied and the selected excursion level of the end effector.
It is often desirable for clinicians to articulate a distal portion of the instrument shaft in order to direct the application of ultrasonic and/or RF energy. Such articulation is challenging and often limited in embodiments where an ultrasonic waveguide extends from a proximally-positioned transducer to the distally-positioned ultrasonic blade.